Yorkville Advisors—the investment manager to Cornell Capital Partners—recently opened an office in Israel as part of its continued global expansion. The move comes on the heels of the firm opening an office in Milan in March.

Based in Tel Aviv, Cornell Israel Limited will be staffed initially by a team of five executives under a joint venture with Amos Bentzur and Co, an Israeli law firm. According to the agreement, Amos Bentzur will act as the exclusive agent for sourcing deals for Cornell Capital in the region.

”This is a major development for Cornell and it’s an honor to have a presence in a nation that has more biotech start-ups per capita than any other country,” said Mark Angelo, founder of Cornell Capital Partners. “We have already invested in several Israel-based companies and are excited about pursuing many more opportunities.”

While its primary focus will be Israeli companies, the firm will use its Tel Aviv office as a gateway to access other key regions in the Middle East and Central Asia.